New or Returning Players Discussion 2: SoA Homeless Veterans Edition

[Chamaan]

what should i do to level up at lvl 60? still haven't looked into abyssea and i did mostly gusgen mines all the way to 60 lol (srs)
also what's a good job to take to 99 first?

Unless you're a mage, you can't really contribute to even the lowest level Abyssea parties (worms and frogs in La Thiene or Raptors/birds in Mis). The only thing you could do is key whore and open chests, but if you haven't done any Abyssea you can't do that since you won't have cruor to buy keys with. Keep doing pages until level 70-75 (try Crawler's Nest, dunno what server you're on but there's always people there on mine). After that go ahead and try to get into an abyssea shout. Let people know it's your first Abyssea and it might take you some time to get to camp, or better yet ask for a guide.

Take whatever job you'll enjoy. If you want to do mostly Abyssea stuff for a while, level up nin, dnc, take one of those to 99 and use the other as a sub, solo everything.

[Dngnhack]

Crawlers nest was good till 50's? i think and after that was sewers of san d'oria.

[Chamaan]

Level sync and Nest until 70's. The Omlette sewers are great XP from 50-75 if you bring a higher level friend or get lucky and find a group of people who don't care about carrying you until you're level 65-ish and can actually hit the stupid bloodsuckers for half decent damage.

[Eldelphia]

what should i do to level up at lvl 60? still haven't looked into abyssea and i did mostly gusgen mines all the way to 60 lol (srs)
also what's a good job to take to 99 first?

What I'd suggest is that if you have the Abyssea expansions, you go around and visit all the maws. Just so that you know where you're heading. Then I'd go inside and do a quest or two to earn some cruor so you can unlock some of the fluxes inside. These are mini teleports at fixed locations throughout the Abyssea zones. Having some of them activated means you can get around the Aby zones faster and more safely. Which is useful for when you xp.

Otherwise you can do Grounds of Valor pages all the way up if you really want to.

[Taeketsu]

Do people care about gear before 99? Should I even bother? I just bought a Peacock Charm & other stuff which I feel like I shouldnt have wasted gil on if everyone else is TPing in holiday hats

[Cairthenn]

Only to some extent. 75+, beyond haste gear and other significant pieces it's sort of silly to spend lots on equipment that you won't touch after you're 99 since you level up so fast in Abyssea. If you're leveling in GOV, making a moderate investment in gear is probably worth your while to some extent. Just don't put a giant investment into it, leveling is not the "spectacle" it was years ago.

[The Stig]

Do people care about gear before 99? Should I even bother? I just bought a Peacock Charm & other stuff which I feel like I shouldnt have wasted gil on if everyone else is TPing in holiday hats

While Cairthenn is right, at least put some "effort" into it or show you put some effort. I'm quite an honest person but I sometimes wonder if I should take the piss because I some blatantly does by:

1. afk. LOTS. I know it's boring to exp but c'mon can't you stay glued to the screen and put "some" effort into hitting a mob at least? The amount of afking sometimes is ridiculous.
2. The leaders should put slightly more focus on who they invite
3. TPing/generally not contributing much in holiday/subpar/initial gear
4. When a pimp player comes in that can probably finish a mob in about 5 seconds, I wonder how they do not get pissed off over the fact they're just basically regurgitating EXP for the other people involved (even though he benefits himself but that's besides the point). Even worst is when this pimp player is followed around by 3-4 other gimps who has no place in helping this guy because their 1 (missed) swing is insignificant at contributing anything to the damage
5. I have to hold myself back from shouting at the leaders sometimes but why in god's name are there 2-5 key players? The worst is inviting a key member, and then the leader invite a few other level 30s 40s anyway, crippling the exp gain
6. Shit players that know they have no place to solo a mob in abyssea, but they fucking go ahead, way out of range and attempt to fight alone, rather than 3-5 gimp players banding together to kill a worm quicker. I was letting these guys die as a healer but they're far too stupid to see why. Although a pattern i noticed is that because they're weakened, they know they can't do shit, and afk anyway (resulting in 1)

All in all I suppose really no one cares nowadays but if I was the leader of the group I might be a bit nazi about it, like: if you afk you'll get removed from the party. anymore than the agreed time and you'll be replaced, etc. on a worms party, order gimps to fight together and pimps so fight alone, etc.

[Eldelphia]

It's worth making an effort by 75 when you'll need to contribute more actively. As a mage you can start at 51 to be honest. At around 78 there are three sets which help most jobs enormously and more to the point are cheap from the AH or paid for with cruor from NPCs. That's the Teal (blurple/mage), Aurore (pink/meddd) and Perle (white/heavydd) sets. Excuse the descriptions but you get my point.

Mobs still need to die to generate xp and someone has to kill em. Xp really dies off if an alliance isn't pulling its weight. You don't have to go nuts but get level appropriate gear, even if it's not the best. Also - if you're someone who doesn't yet have Atma you will be at a disadvantage so it might be worth working on getting some of those asap.

[takethistoyourgrave]

My brother and I recently came back to the game with new characters after a many-year hiatus (we are on Odin server), excited by the expansion pack and all the new changes. We have been playing pretty hardcore so far and having a really great time. I got my DNC to 99 and my brother is now THF 99. We also have capped or near capped most relevant combat skills and merits. I have some questions that maybe you dudes can help with:

1- now that we have hit this point, we really need to get going on Atmas and Abyssea boss clears. We don't have any sort of LS for this, of course. What's the way to go about this? Do people often shout for boss kills? How do we get Razed Ruins for example? I know where it comes from, of course, but do people often shout these fights for other items and stuff to where we can tag along to help and get the Atmas?

2- we are also open to leveling other jobs, to create the best duo we can. What are the best job combinations for stuff like abyssea and dynamis? Neither of us really wants to level white Mage, so if you could list both combinations with and without Mage classes that would be really helpful.

3- dynamis. We want to get in on farming this. I was reading that the CoP dynamis areas are much more popular for soloers, but what about our duo? (Thf and Dnc) would any city zones be doable, or should we go CoP? Also, does proccing affect AF2 drop rates/slots or is it only currency? (Didn't see it on the wiki)

I just wanna say that I am a wiki junky so I have searched these things endlessly on the wiki. I'm just looking for more experience-type replies about how to go about doing this stuff. I appreciate it!

[Buffy]

3. THF and DNC are a great duo combination for dynamis...read the dynamis thread, learn where your TE are (need all 5 in each zone), got to town. Currency prices are experiencing a slow draw down (i suspect due to the blinker nerf), but still can easily clear 1m/day each probably.

2. THF or DNC + WHM can probably beat every zone boss. So one of you bite the bullet and afk leech it to 99 and knock them out. Probably can shout, plenty of people coming back need zone clears too, probably can find someone with a mage to do it.

1. If you decide you want empy weapons, then one of you is going to need a mage and one of you will need war or ninja. Red proc is your friend.

[Kohan]

How do we get Razed Ruins for example?

You won't likely see someone shouting for this, unless they're really burning for the job-specific items it drops (Unkai Sugemino for SAM, and Savant's Chain for SCH), or they're after the same thing that you want: the atma. While you could get lucky, you shouldn't sit around waiting for a /shout to happen. Instead, you and your brother may want to consider soloing the NMs for their KIs (Abyssic Cluster and Ironclad Observer), which you can, in turn, use to pop the Ironclad. To be safe, you and your brother should each build a complete KI set.

Naturally, you won't want to try to duo the Ironclad in your current state—instead, you'll want to build a /sh alliance of your own, offering all of the items to those who join you. Mention the atma as well, of course. Here's the basics regarding the Ironclad itself: each of its attacks counts as a TP move, and you can only trigger weaknesses when Abyssea mobs aren't doing TP moves; you'll want someone competent and with atmas to tank it for you (e.g., a good MNK); likewise, you'll need someone capable of keeping your main tank/DD alive (e.g., a WHM). Don't throw everyone and their mom at it, or the TP generated will likely result in moves that destroy you all (assuming you'll build an alliance of newbies/middle-ground players).

Alternatively, become good friends with a well-geared MNK and WHM duo who know Abyssea inside and out, and they can simply duo the Ironclad for you. (You'll want to bring along a WAR with skilled weapons to trigger red, though. A NIN too, just in case it's going to require Katana or Great Katana.) And lastly, if you're unfamiliar with the triggering business (although you may not be, given your mentioning a love of Wikis): https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:...rious_Monsters

2- we are also open to leveling other jobs, to create the best duo we can. What are the best job combinations for stuff like abyssea and dynamis? Neither of us really wants to level white Mage, so if you could list both combinations with and without Mage classes that would be really helpful.

By discounting WHM, you've already eliminated the best duo for Abyssea, which is essentially "WHM plus Anything Else." There's no other way to say it, but to put additional emphasis on it, MNKs and WHMs were essentially considered the Gods of Abyssea by many for a long time. Cure bombs are magnificent. MNKs have a lot of HP. Combine the two, and you have unlocked Abyssea's easy mode, and it will only get easier as you gain more abyssites and atmas.

Besides that, and in line with the red triggering mentioned earlier, an important job to have is WAR, and with all of its weapons leveled. Beyond that, there is BLM, which has the greatest opportunity for triggering yellow, simply because of its having more spells to cast than any other job on any given Vana'diel day. You'll want yellow for Empyrean armor seals and +2 upgrade items. There are plenty of NMs that you and your brother could duo as DNC and BLM, and I'd personally prefer a BLM to a THF (especially since a BLM can also build azure, which you'll want for TEs, especially when you don't have a lot of stones).

Of course, having mentioned WHM and BLM, I've gone directly against your having asked for mages to not be mentioned. Truthfully, though, when you're new to Abyssea, it's unlikely you'll be able to get away with that with much success. DNC becomes plenty powerful, but it won't be as much of a cheat in the beginning as a MNK would be.

3- dynamis. We want to get in on farming this. I was reading that the CoP dynamis areas are much more popular for soloers, but what about our duo? (Thf and Dnc) would any city zones be doable, or should we go CoP? Also, does proccing affect AF2 drop rates/slots or is it only currency? (Didn't see it on the wiki)

Procs do not affect equipment drop rates, but you should aspire for them anyway, given how much money you can make off of selling currency. Your duo will be fine, especially considering that one of you is a DNC main. I recommend that the THF also level DNC for subjob purposes.

[MrSamuels]

So my goal is to get a Relic/Mythic weapon after coming back to the game as it is about the only thing I did not achieve before.

I have a few questions about it however;

1) Back when I was playing only a few Relics were considered any good, assuming I have access to any job and happy to do any role which is the best to aim for to have most impact on the Job.

2) I am currently levelling my Beastmaster and Dancer with my girlfriend at the same rate I have done some background reading about both being equally strong at soloing however I will have a 99 WHM available does this change the fact about what I should level for Dynamis.

3) Alexandrite, is old Salvage enterable by yourself now? If so how to do people farm this "low man" as if possible I would rather not have to rely on other people other than Girlfriend + my mule

4) Is certain gear needed before you can do Dynamis solo, or can I ding 99 and just walk in and at least start earning some currency?

[kenshyn]

Dynamis farming of ep or dc mobs is pretty easy mode with dnc or bst/dnc just get signet, a whm really isn't needed another DD would be more beneficial and TH of course helps. Cop zones for me was the best just have to find when zones aren't crowded. On gear its just about speed fast to proc and kill the mobs are ep/dc better gear helps but the elite top gear isn't required to farm of course the better geared the more coins you will get.

Salvage just needs 3 to open and is pretty easy mode pretty close to dynamis just get sanction and may want a THF or TH other than that it's no big deal many solo it just get help entering with peeps.

[Slycer]

Generally speaking (not referring to any one person), I'm guessing people aren't referring back to the original post as they probably don't realize it contains any useful information this late in the thread, but I encourage you to check out the first post if you are posting new questions here, and especially check out this guide:

https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Returning_to_Vana%27diel

It answers many of the questions that get asked here over and over. You may find your answers there more quickly than waiting for a reply here, and it will help you to ask more pointed questions if you do need to come back here for more information.

[Jakson]

I've got a couple jobs in the 37-40 range that I want to take to 49, not much interest after that. Would CN page 1 be ideal? Aside from leeching in Abyssea, are there better options?

[Kaputnik]

I've got a couple jobs in the 37-40 range that I want to take to 49, not much interest after that. Would CN page 1 be ideal? Aside from leeching in Abyssea, are there better options?

CN is afaik the best/easiest xp for that level range outside Aby, but you'll need to pt up at that level.
If you're on a mage job and don't want to (or can) leech/key in aby, CN would be your best bet.

If you're on a melee job you can solo 37-49 in Delkfutt's with decent pace. Sub DNC is recommended.
- 37-40 Lower Delkfutt (page 2) near the entrance.
- 40-49 Upper Delkfutt (page 1) in the hallways near Mimas. Need Delkfutt key and a prism powder (or a bit of patience) to get to the spot.

[Kyreth]

CN is afaik the best/easiest xp for that level range outside Aby, but you'll need to pt up at that level.
If you're on a mage job and don't want to (or can) leech/key in aby, CN would be your best bet.

If you're on a melee job you can solo 37-49 in Delkfutt's with decent pace. Sub DNC is recommended.
- 37-40 Lower Delkfutt (page 2) near the entrance.
- 40-49 Upper Delkfutt (page 1) in the hallways near Mimas. Need Delkfutt key and a prism powder (or a bit of patience) to get to the spot.

Yeah, I ended up doing a few levels to 46ish just before the way up to Mimas's floor, then did 46-50 on that one (with level sync with someone else.) on THF/DNC. Ended up even finding Enky spawned and duo'd him for fun. Once you ding 50, though...that's it. there's nothing up there that gives exp that won't be riding the pain train if you go higher.

Sadly, no bomblet was found in said Gigas-blasting.

[Plow]

So my goal is to get a Relic/Mythic weapon after coming back to the game as it is about the only thing I did not achieve before.

I have a few questions about it however;

1) Back when I was playing only a few Relics were considered any good, assuming I have access to any job and happy to do any role which is the best to aim for to have most impact on the Job.

Ragnarok is pretty much godlike, and they've said they're aiming to improve other jobs rather than nerf rag or the drks using it.

Spharai are also very nice, beating out even veres in damage on a lot of things while being amazing defensively.

Apoc still is what it is, but it's pretty outshined by rag these days.

If you really like bst Guttler is still a heck of a weapon, although I think it's amusingly the best offhand with farsha mainhand lol.

2) I am currently levelling my Beastmaster and Dancer with my girlfriend at the same rate I have done some background reading about both being equally strong at soloing however I will have a 99 WHM available does this change the fact about what I should level for Dynamis.

bst/nin or bst/dnc + dnc/nothing would be your best bet I think

locking out a sub enables a person to (very rarely) proc white, which gives 100 pieces

essentially you'd hold stuff (it's np for a bst to hold 4-5 ep dynamis mobs at a time) while the dnc procs, and you ruinator shit down as soon as she procs on it

3) Alexandrite, is old Salvage enterable by yourself now? If so how to do people farm this "low man" as if possible I would rather not have to rely on other people other than Girlfriend + my mule

you need a 3rd to enter but that person can dc during the entrance process and not use up passes

salvage has always been "low man" so I'm not sure how to answer that part, just look at how people are doing it in general, everyone's lowmanning

4) Is certain gear needed before you can do Dynamis solo, or can I ding 99 and just walk in and at least start earning some currency?

I see people that clearly leveled bst purely for dynamis rocking full perle (the like 50k total level 78 melee set) with terrible r/ex weapons and shit farming np. They're not knocking shit out anywhere close to the rate I am even on an "ok" geared bst, though, and I see people with guttlers and shit that pretty much 1 shot even if stuff procs at 100%.

[Guild43]

I started playing again a few days ago after stopping during the level 90 cap days, I haven't really seen any exp group shouts at all on Asura. Am I just having bad luck or do Abyssea exp groups not exist anymore?

[Plow]

La Thiene worms seem to be the exp of choice these days, there's usually a group out there, just search and ask people if there's room.